I recently attended the IAWP's 2009 Conference in Seattle, Washington. What a great conference and such a beautiful city. From the first day with the
Parade of Nations to the last day with the
Final Banquet, there was pride, friendships formed, a wide range of training offered and plenty of opportunities to network and socialize.
The
key note speakers were -
- Colonel Katherine Miller, Deputy Provost Marshal General/Commander U.S. Army
- Ann Rule, Crime writer and former Seattle police officer.
Some of the
training offered was -
- Case Study: Green River Serial Killer
- Women's Vital Role in Successful Undercover Operations
- The Neighborhood Corrections Initiative
- United Nations: Police Women's Participation
- The Troubled History and Modern Issues and Conflicts of Sudan
- Career and Tactical Survival for Women
- Winning Courtroom Confrontations
The
Awards Banquet honored several women and was extremely moving when the Medal of Valor was given out to three women, two posthumously whose families received the award on their behalf. Many attended the
General Meeting and voiced their opinion on how to make IAWP better and what direction the association should be headed in over the next several years. And of course, there was time to take in some sightseeing of the beautiful city, which included Puget Sound, Mount Rainier and the Space Needle.
The Seattle Conference Committee deserves the utmost praise for all their hard work on providing such a great conference and for being such gracious hosts.
I look forward to next year's conference that is being hosted by Minneapolis PD. If their hospitality night is any indication of the fun to be had next year, I wouldn't miss it for the world.
